Sharlto Copley In Talks To Join Angelina Jolie In Maleficent

Sharlto Copley has had a tough time finding a role that's nearly as interesting as his breakthrough part in District 9, as the alien-infected government agent Wikus. But he looks ready to be on quite a roll-- just this week he was confirmed as both the villain in Spike Lee's Oldboy, as well as the lead in the thriller Open Grave. Now he's adding another very high-profile film to his schedule-- Deadline reports he's in talks to join Angelina Jolie in Maleficent, the retelling of the Sleeping Beauty told from the villainess's point of view.

Copley will play King Stefan, presumably the father of Princess Aurora, the young woman cursed by Maleficent and put into a long, deep sleep. The funny thing is we still don't really know who will play Aurora-- there had been a rumor a while back that Elle Fanning may take the role, and while she seems perfect for it, there hasn't been any kind of confirmation since. Copley's casting, and the looming March 14, 2014 release date, probably mean they'll have to cast someone soon. If I were to guess I'd say Fanning is still their choice, but maybe she's holding out for a better deal.

Robert Stromberg, who did production design for Alice in Wonderland is taking over the director's chair once occupied by Tim Burton. While he's unproven as a director, he's lining up a lot of talent that might help make that transition easier.